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***The Painful Past, Part 3***

     Over the next month or so, I had to miserably force myself to put up with the accursed human and his blatant lack of kindness. Not only was he mean, but he was sneaky, he was ruthless, and he battled with such brutality. It disgusted me.
     I refused to fight for him. I would ignore his commands, merely stand there and take whatever the opponent would throw at me without rebuttal. "Why won't you do anything?!" he would shout in irritation. "Come on! Fight already!" He would kick me, and I would swing around to strike back…but upon seeing Gardevoir's anticipation to guard him, her expression filled with worry, I would stop myself.
     It was not her restrain on me that I tried to avoid. I would stop myself because I did not want to cause her any more trouble than what she already had to go through.
     Gardevoir was the only source of sanity I had during that horrible time with Akuji. For whatever reason, she was always so hopeful. I could not help but be cheered by her encouraging, ever-positive attitude, even in my worst states of depression. I could not figure out where her hope stemmed from, seeing as she was his Pokémon…but I was grateful for it. It was from her that a small hope inside of my own self had sustained. She became a very close friend, and I did not want to cause her any pain… I didn't…
     But Akuji soon noticed that.
     Whenever Gardevoir and I would participate in a double battle, although I still refused to fight for him, I would aid Gardevoir by diverting enemy attacks and countering with my own series of attacks. He noticed how I would always defend her…and he would use that to his advantage. He would purposely place Gardevoir in a dangerous situation, knowing that I would help her fight back, just to keep her safe. We fended off our opponents very well together, apparently… But sometimes Akuji's tactics would go too far, and I wouldn't be strong enough or fast enough to protect her…and Gardevoir would suffer a painful loss…
     Akuji… He just never knew when to quit. He would keep pushing and pushing…until there was nothing left to push… And only then would he would finally flee like the coward he truly was. But only after Gardevoir and I had suffered the hardships of battle…
     …Especially on that day…

     Somehow, we had wandered into an uncharted region, and we were making our way over a snow-covered mountain. I walked close to Gardevoir. It was feint, but I could sense that we were being followed. Naturally, I kept close to my friend so that I may easily defend her if necessary. Then, suddenly, I felt a hand roughly pat my head. "You're awful close to her, aren't you?" Akuji mocked. I swiped at his hand, and he let go as he snickered. "Kekeke, watch out, lover-doll! If you get that close to her, then how would you ever live with yourself if something really bad happened and you couldn't save her? Kekekeke, I bet that would just tear you apart!"

     I tensed up at the thought, holding back my rage as best as possible.

     "But then again, that'd be your own fault for not being strong enough, now wouldn't it?  Guess that means you just have to keep doing better to protect her. Keke!"

     I glanced up at Gardevoir. She had that apologetic look on her face again, a look that easily softened my anger. And I realized…there was a sad truth to his taunting… What would I do if I failed to keep her safe?
     But the way he said it…so provokingly… It sickened me. He found so much enjoyment in watching me suffer this way…only so that I may benefit him…

     Continuing to walk, I wondered how much longer Gardevoir and I would have to deal with that wretched human. Of course, Gardevoir never possessed any ill feelings toward her trainer, no matter what he did…but I, for one, could no longer stand it. The treacherous snake… Him… Everything about him… It all had to come to an end.

     And it was at that mountain's peak that I had finally found my chance.

     The three of us had stopped the instant we saw her there, standing before us. "…A Ninetales…" Akuji uttered after a moment's hesitation. At the sound of that name, a realization occurred to me. Her tails… One touch, and she would lay a powerful curse on the offender. A curse that would last for a thousand years! It was perfect. It was the opportunity I had been long waiting for. Akuji would have finally gotten what he deserved, and Gardevoir and I would have been freed from his clutches once and for all. I just had to get him to touch one of the tails… But knowing him, he would have done that himself, and all I would have had to do was watch.

     Akuji grinned in his typical mischievous way. "Kekeke! A Ninetales, huh? I remember now. There was some legendary Ninetales with the ability to curse people for a thousand years just by them touching its stupid tails. I wonder if you're that one. Keke, that must make you one stuck up Pokémon, then, doesn't it?" He took a step forward. "Why don't we test that little legend of yours right now?"

     'I do not believe that is very wise, Zane,' Gardevoir warned him through telepathy.

     "Keh, what's the worst that could happen? I'll get cursed? Kekeke! Right, like that's gonna happen."

     'You'd best heed your partner's warning.' We all turned to see that Ninetales had spoken through telepathy, as well. 'If you do not, you may suffer a rather unfortunate fate.'

     Akuji blinked. "So, you can talk, huh? That must make you that legendary Ninetales…" He smirked. "Which means I'm gonna have to capture you! Keke!"

     'Do not be so foolish, human. Take my advice and leave this place now, before you find yourself regretting your intrusion.'

     "Kekeke! Regret my intrusion? What, you're gonna curse me? Keh, I'd like to see you try!"

     'Zane, please!' Gardevoir pleaded. 'Do not taunt her this way!'

     "Keh, whatever. Just go attack it, Gardevoir. We're adding this Ninetales to my party." Gardevoir hesitated before nervously stepping up to the elegant fox.

     Ninetales huffed. 'You dare test me, human? You truly are a fool.'

     "Now, Gardevoir, use Psychic!"

     But before she could even prepare the attack, Ninetales' eyes made contact with hers as they brightly flashed, causing Gardevoir to fall victim of Confuse Ray. 'Let me ask you something, human,' she began. 'Have you any concern for the feelings of your partners?'

     Akuji was taken aback by the sudden question. "What?"

     'Your partners. They fight for you. They protect you. They follow your every command… Yet what have you given them in return? I have been watching you since you began making your way here. All I have seen you do in return is mock them and taunt them as if you were so superior. And they do nothing in their defense. What have you to say for that?'

     "Keh! What is there to say?" he spat in nervous irritation. "I am superior to them! I'm their trainer! That's why they follow my commands! And I don't have to give anything in return! They have an obligation as my Pokémon to do whatever I tell them to do! Simple as that! Now, stop lecturing me and fight like you're supposed to!" He glared to me, standing behind him. "Get out there already, Banette!"

     'You despicable human.' He turned back around to see Ninetales marching up to him in anger, and we were backed up to the wall, Akuji with a look of fear in his eyes. 'How dare you. What makes you think you can so rightfully go wherever you wish and so arrogantly do as you please, without any regard to those around you? You don't even have the decency to repay your own partners with the gratitude and respect they deserve, even after all they have done for you. You are a disgrace to mankind. People like you should never exist in this world. You will be punished most severely for your twisted heart…'

     Excitement flowed through me. It seemed Akuji was going to be cursed without even having to touch her tails. And when he was finally gone, we'd finally be free, free to find and be with my precious Catey once again…

     'Please wait, Ninetales!' I jerked my head to Gardevoir, who had recovered from her confusion. '…I know that he is a mean, cruel person…but I beg of you, show him mercy. There is hope for him, I can assure you. I have seen the potential goodness in him… He will change for the better in time. I promise he will! Just, please…give him a chance…'

     My stomach clenched up. Would Gardevoir's plea really be enough to convince Ninetales to reconsider? I begged it would not be… I begged it…

     Ninetales stared at Gardevoir for a long moment. 'You protect him still with such dedication, even though he has shown you no returning kindness? Why is that?'

     Gardevoir looked at her with firm sureness. '…He is my dear friend.'

     After another moment's hesitation, Ninetales nodded. 'You must have obviously seen something in him that I could not, and I will trust your judgment. For your steadfast dedication, I shall show mercy.' She turned back to Akuji. 'Thanks to your friend, you have been spared. I hope you take her generous kindness to heart.' She turned her back to us and gave him one final warning. 'Now, leave this place at once. I can only hope that, after this incident, you will find the gratitude that your heart is missing and change your ways for the better.'

     Akuji sighed with great relief as she began to walk away, and the rage built inside of me. How could Ninetales have just left this wicked human to roam free without any punishment for what she knew he was so twisted for? All he had done… He deserved no mercy! Not from anyone! Gardevoir… Curse her undying devotion to him! Why…? Why did she always have to save him? Why couldn't she let him receive the punishment he so rightfully deserved, just once? Just once?! If it weren't for her, I thought, we would have been freed--I would have been freed--from that vile creature's grip long ago! It was true that Gardevoir and I were friends--I cherished her friendship dearly--and I knew how strongly she felt for her trainer… But… I was finally at my breaking point, and I no longer cared about how she would feel at that moment. It was her fault that Akuji still held me captive. It was her fault that I was never able to turn on him and break free from his clutches. It was her fault that he escaped Ninetales' curse when he was so close to being…
     He had to go… He had to go… …And Gardevoir could have gone with him, for all I cared! All she had ever done was hold me back, anyway, keep me with him all this time! It was torture! I could no longer take it! I had to be rid of him for good!

     Before Ninetales could gain too much distance between herself and Akuji, I took my clenched-up hand and rammed it into the back of Akuji's knees, causing him to collapse forward, grabbing on to Ninetales' tails for support as he fell.

     Having only noticed her tails being grabbed and pulled, Ninetales swung around, eyes glowing red, and furiously yelled, 'You fool! You dare lay your filthy hands on my tails?!'

     Akuji frantically released her tails and backed up. "I-I didn't mean it! It wasn't me! It was--"

     'Silence!' she interrupted. 'I mercifully spare your pitiful life, and this is how you repay me? You shall suffer my curse for your insolence!'

     Akuji's eyes widened in complete horror as Ninetales became surrounded by a menacing aura. The aura then shot toward Akuji, and I could hardly wait for it to strike him…but then a terrible thing happened. Gardevoir leaped into the path of the curse, and it struck her instead, engulfing her entire body. She writhed and screamed in pain, clenching her body as if trying to hold herself together.

     "Gardevoir!" I yelled in horror as I ran to her, looking for a way to release her from the cursing aura. I held my hand out to touch it, and then recoiled from its burning sting. "Ninetales!" I called out. "Save her! Please!"

     'I cannot cancel the curse once it has fallen upon a victim. The human, however, can.' She turned to face where he should have been. 'Do you wish to save…'

     But she stopped speaking. I turned my head to see why. And that Akuji… He was running! He ran away as fast as he could! How could he have left Gardevoir that way? Gardevoir? His most trusted and dedicated Pokémon? His only friend? Rage filled me more than it ever had before. Akuji truly was a monster!
     And then I heard a thud. I turned to see Gardevoir lying limp on the ground, and a dull light surrounded her as she began to fade away. "No!" I yelled desperately, trying to hold her, trying to keep her from disappearing. "Gardevoir! You can't! Please! Don't go!" But it was no use… Her body eventually vanished completely. She was no longer there… I stared at the spot she last laid upon in utter disbelief, and then turned to Ninetales. "What happened to her?! Where did she go?!"

     "Her spirit… It has been separated from her body."

     "It… It was separated…? So, then…she is dead?!"

     "In a way, yes. But not quite. Her body is merely locked away in a mystery dungeon, somewhere in this region. Until her body is freed, her spirit will wander on its own for a thousand years, and it can never reunite with the body until then."

     "Then, I will free her! Just tell me where she can be found!"

     She shook her head. "I am afraid it is not that simple. You will be unable to free her, no matter what you do, no matter how hard you try."

     I jerked back. "Wha… What do you mean?!"

     "The curse I had laid was upon the human's twisted heart. He is the only one capable of freeing Gardevoir. However, in order for the curse to be broken, his heart must first gain what it is missing. Then, and only then, will Gardevoir be freed."

     So, I thought, only he could save her… I was rapidly losing hope. "And what exactly is his heart missing?" I asked without any hint of enthusiasm.

     "…Gratitude."

     "But he is such a selfish, uncaring being! Someone like him would never gain something like gratitude in his wretched heart! Gardevoir will be trapped forever this way!"

     Ninetales stared at me for a long moment, and then lowered her head apologetically. "I am truly sorry… All you can do now is hope that he really does change, as Gardevoir predicts." She looked in the direction in which Akuji fled. "Change… There is one change he will make that I can predict. That human will one day be reborn as a Pokémon… And when that human becomes a Pokémon… The world's balance will be upset… I can see it… Natural disasters will begin to occur all over the world. They will occur much more often than they normally should. And eventually…the world may even be destroyed."

     I stared at Ninetales for a brief moment before looking back down where I last held Gardevoir, the only salvation I had during my separation from Catey. "Destroyed, huh…? …It might as well be…" The image of Gardevoir's unbearable, burning body clawed at my mind, and my fingers dug into the ground. "I didn't… I didn't mean it… Gardevoir… I never really wanted you to go… I am sorry…for ever thinking such spiteful thoughts about you… I am so sorry…" My eyes grew wet as they began to fill with tears. "I should had never made him touch those tails… I should had never caused Ninetales to lay the curse… It is my fault you have been cursed…that you are trapped… It is all my fault… I am so sorry…Gardevoir… I am so, very sorry…"
     I then looked up to see Ninetales again, desperate for some hint of guidance from her…but she was no longer there. I frantically scanned the area for her…but she could not be found… And then, I suddenly felt compelled to flee from that place. Flee and never return… So…without looking back…I sprinted off.
     I ran for what seemed like hours. To where, I did not know, I did not care… My mind felt numb as I ran. It would not concentrate on any particular thought… But then, I tripped and fell… I lied there, unmoving… And then when I finally pushed myself off the ground…that was when I realized…I was completely alone…for the first time since I had first met Catey… All alone… And as the shock of losing Gardevoir slowly faded, that terrible anxiety gradually replaced it, pushing toward its climax. I was…all alone again…just like before…with nobody to help me…nobody to comfort me…nobody…to be by my side…in my times of need…
     …And I was terrified…
     What was I to do, then? How would I have spent such a pointless life without anyone to be there for me…? Without anyone to live for…? Only two beings in the entire world ever held any value in my life.
     Gardevoir… There was no hope left for her. Akuji, I knew, would never come to her rescue as long as he was the same low-life human he always was. And since there was no use in hoping for him to change…there was no use in ever hoping for her safe return…
     But Catey… She was still out there somewhere. My Catey…the one who loved me most out of anyone…I still had a chance to find her, to be with her again. She might have still been looking for me. She might have still been missing me, waiting for me to come home. I had to find her. No matter what it took, I had to be with Catey again. There was no other purpose I had in my long, torturous life. She was the only reason for my existence…so, I had no other option than to begin my search for her.

***

     It is a strange phenomenon…how the ones who can bring you the most joy can also create in you your greatest fears… Before I had met Catey, the loneliness I always felt seemed like a normal, inescapable emotion, and I had never bothered to give it much thought. I had always accepted it then. But…I had become so addicted to Catey's presence that I had forgotten what it was like to really be indulged in that loneliness. So, when I no longer had anybody by my side…it was horrifying…
     You see, when you sit alone after a tragedy, when you are surrounded by that deadly silence of solitude, your mind tends to play tricks on you. It can summon your worst memories, replay them with such realism…and you are forced to relive your most painful moments of guilt and regret… Such hallucinations could drive one to insanity.
     In a desperate attempt to escape the madness, I searched for companionship along with my search for Catey. …But…when people are lonely, they stoop to any companionship. Desperation allowed for my trust to easily fall into the wrong hands… Over and over, I would openly give someone my trust, assist them in fixing their own pitiful, trouble-ridden lives, hoping that they would one day return the favor and be there for me when I needed them most… But…when it came right down to it…they would always desert me…leave me to my own cruel fate…whether from fear for their own lives or for fulfillment of their own personal interests… And I would once again find myself in that solitude.
     That was another unfortunate aspect of life that I had lost sight of as I had Catey… Deception. It is found everywhere you look. Trust is never a thing to so frivolously give away…no matter how desperate you may be… To have trusted another the way I could so whole-heartedly trust Catey would have cost me my life on numerous occasions…
     The consistent blanket of lies and betrayal left deeper wounds than that dreaded solitude. Over time, I became too frightened to give my trust to anyone else. No matter how friendly and kind they would make themselves appear, they would have only ended up betraying me like the rest…for their own selfish reasons… So, having to choose between my two greatest fears, I decided that being alone was more tolerable than allowing another deception to add more scars to what was left of me. In conclusion…as much as it still hurt me to do so…I tightly locked up my personal emotions in an attempt to keep everyone else out. Although, I still kept up appearances to manipulate others to do as I asked of them, I refused to let myself truly get close to anybody any longer…or to let others get too close to me…

     I continued searching for Catey alone for what may have been a few years now…but everywhere I looked…I could find no sign of her… I had once found where she used to live…but she no longer lived there. She had left that place long before, likely to have become a trainer as she had been wanting to. I would have stayed and waited for her return one day…but not even her parents lived there any longer. They had all gone away, as well… So, I had to continue my search elsewhere.

     Somehow, I wandered back into this uncharted region. It was strange… It almost felt as if something were drawing me here. I never wanted to return, but…the pull was too intriguing.
     Throughout the land, I had caught wind of the rumors about a human-turned-Pokémon who had saved the world from a falling meteor. I recalled Ninetales' prediction about Akuji one day becoming a Pokémon, but quickly dismissed the idea that it was he who the rumors were referring to, remembering the part where the human saved the world. He would have been the one destroying it… Of course, eventually I found out that human was a female Skitty named Sanura…but even so, I could not help but ponder whether Akuji had become a Pokémon or not…
     And then, as if on cue, that was when he ran into me again.

     "Out of the way!" he shouted as he ran by, shoving me to the ground. I pushed myself up to see who had assaulted me when I heard that sickeningly familiar laugh.

     "Kekeke! Sorry, rag doll! I'm in a hurry!"

     I caught sight of that malicious grin of his before he turned to continue running, and I stared after him. That laugh, that grin, even the way he spoke, the way he addressed me… It was undoubtedly him. He may have become a Gengar as Ninetales had predicted, but I could easily recognize him anywhere.
     Then, the memories--those horrible, anguishing memories--came flooding back into my mind, more clearly than ever before. When he came, when he hurt Catey, when he stole me, when he abandoned Gardevoir… And then it clicked. It was him. It was all because of him. He was the one who abandoned Gardevoir; it was he who caused the curse to be laid in the first place. He was the one who had kidnapped me from my beloved Catey; he was the whole reason I had been forced to wonder endlessly in complete solitude, suffer constant deception, be driven to insanity by those overwhelming memories which fill me with so much guilt and regret! It was his fault! All his! I had done nothing to deserve such an anguish-filled life! Nothing! Yet there he was, as carefree as ever. As if nothing had ever happened to him!
     I had to follow him. There had to be something that caused him the pain he deserved. Something…
     …But…what I found was nothing of the sort… Although his personality seemed to be the same as ever, he did appear different somehow… He appeared…happier…more content… And that was when you arrived, Sanura. Upon seeing you, his smile became so much warmer than I had ever seen it before, and his eyes shone with a more genuine sense of joy.
     That… That had cut the last thread holding my thoughts and reason together. He caused so much suffering…my suffering…yet he was blessed with this happiness. Happiness that should have rightfully been MINE! Only one goal latched onto my mind from then on: regain the happiness that he had stolen from me and bring upon him absolute despair. Although I used to always maintain a consideration for innocent by-standers, casualties were no longer my concern. Especially since my new goal meant harming you, Sanura. I would do whatever it took to cause Akuji the same suffering that he had caused me over the years… I did not care anymore…
     …As long as I found my revenge…

***
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     Keahi stared at the floor. "That's so sad…" he muttered. "I can't even imagine how hard it must have been for him to go on after all that… I mean, when Sanura left…" He looked back up at Sanura, who was still held tightly, unmoving in Gengar's arms, and then, his insides churning, looked back down. "…I guess that means…since he's still here, trying to get revenge on you…that he hasn't found Catey yet. I wonder what became of her after so long. Gengar? You hadn't run into her any other time after that, had you?"

     Gengar hesitated a moment before admitting, "There was…that one time… It was a while after the Ninetales incident. A month or so, maybe. She came up to me while I walked around some town… And needless to say…she wasn't very happy with me…"

***
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     "YOU!"

     The instant I turned around to see who it was, a hand slammed against my face, and I was grabbed by the collar of my shirt.

     "Where is he?!" she shouted in my face with fury. "What did you do with Thorne?!"

     Still discombobulated by the sudden attack, I grabbed her wrists, asking, "What the heck are you talking about?!" But she began violently shaking me before I could even finish.

     "Don't give me that innocent garbage! You know darn well what I'm talking about!"

     I squeezed her wrists tightly, getting her to stop the shaking. "Well, I would if you'd just calm down!" And then the familiarity of her face clicked in my mind. "Oh, hey. It's you."

     She jerked me once more. "Yes, it's me! Now, release Thorne! NOW!"

     "Who the heck is Thorne?! Oh, you mean the Banette…"

     "Of course I mean the Banette, you heartless jerk!"

     "Yeah, about that…" I scratched my cheek. "I don't know how to break this to you, but…"

     "But…? But what?! WHAT'D YOU DO?!"

     "That Banette ran off somewhere a long time ago. It's long gone by now, so who knows where it could be?"

     She froze, staring at me in utter disbelief. "…He's…gone…?"

     "Isn't that what I just said? Here, let me spell it out for you: your Banette is g-o-n-e, gone! Probably never to be seen again. So, just let it go and move on with your life already." Sure, she let go of my collar, but then she fell to her knees, still staring in disbelief, and I was confused. "What's the big deal, anyway? It was just a stupid rag doll. Besides, it's not like you can't just find another one if you really wanted-- …Are you… You're not actually crying, are you?" Tears had begun to stream down her face, and I grew even more confused.

     I couldn't understand it. Why was she getting so emotional over one, little Pokémon? Sure, I was upset about losing my best Pokémon, Gardevoir, but it was either my life or hers. And even so, I didn't go crying about it. That would have been so stupid. Besides, all Pokémon were good for were battles and stuff, so…they could have been easily replaced. …At least…that was how I thought back then…

     "Tchah!" I spat in frustration as I turned away. "How can you be such a baby? You should be a trainer now, right? Trainers shouldn't be such whiny, little brats just because they lost one Pokémon! It happens all the time! If you're a real trainer, then stop sniveling, get up, and get over it! You look so pathetic!" And then, without an ounce of sympathy, I walked away, leaving her to sit on the ground as the sound of her uncontrolled sobbing faded in the distance…